International evening in Ålesund
AAUC, Inner Wheels and Rotary recently arranged International evening in Ålesund. The theme was 'How to get in touch with shy Norwegians'.
Several exchange students from every part of the world was gathered over good food and beverages in order to get to know each other and to learn a little bit about Norway. It is not always easy getting to know the Norwegians, but Marianne Roald Ytterdal encourages the students to get in touch with the shy Norwegians. - Just talk to them. They will like it, she says.
Marit Huseby from Inner Wheels took the initiative in the International evening in 1998, and it has turned into an annual happening. Huseby says to Sunnmørsposten that they wanted to do something for the foreign students, such as giving them an opportunity to make contact with other foreign students. The students are also given information on Ålesund and Sunnmøre.
Present at the International evening were among others Anne Ulla, International Coordinator at the AAUC, and Zsofia Pincze's from Hungary. Zsofia is currently an exchange student at the AAUC. She says to Sunnmørsposten that she likes Ålesund, and even the rainy weather. She also enjoys Norwegian food, like fish, which she didn't like before she came to Ålesund.
Zsofia also says that she likes the Norwegians, but it can be a bit difficult to get to know them. Norwegians are very helpful, but only to a certain point, she says.
Ilya Glazkov from Russia shares this opinion, and says to Sunnmørsposten that Norwegians can be a bit closed.
In that case it might be all right that the speakers at the International evening encourages the students to bug the shy Norwegians a bit.
